Monday, August 23, 2010

LA Unveils $578M School, Costliest In Nation

The Los Angeles Unified School District is set to unveil the nation's costliest school project ever built - the $578 million Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools.

Starting next month, the K-12 complex will house 4,200 students on the site of the former Ambassador Hotel where the Democratic presidential nominee was assassinated in 1968.

The campus is LA's third high-priced school in as many years following a national trend of so-called Taj Mahal schools, $100 million-plus campuses that boast both architectural panache and deluxe amenities.

The pricey schools have come during a sensitive period when the nation's second-largest school system is struggling to close a $640 million budget deficit. Some parents say education should come before fancy buildings.